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Lotus spun around at the sound of the freshman’s voice. She smiled sweetly. “No, wait a second! You haven’t been stupid. Please don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. We’d love to have you join the club. Us sports recruits need to stick together sometimes…” Can I say this? she thought, hesitating. “… us… scared girls need to help each other,” she finished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(ooc: back to the future zoOp)

“You really think we’re making a good impression by inviting all the sports recruits to an interview?” said Cress, taking a sip of his royal milk tea. “It comes off as desperate, in my opinion. I thought it was good that you guys didn’t come chasing after me when I joined.”Niege interjected, “It’s not just an interview.Aster exhaled, leaning his head back against the back of the chair in thought. “Che sarà sarà, I suppose. We gave them the opportunity to decline our offer for an interview. We’ll just have to see what happens. It’s not like our club’s going to be any different in the end.”Cress raised an eyebrow. “Is that so.”“Yes. In any case, hopefully they’ve had experience with the simulation," said Aster, scanning over a list of their interviewees on the computer once more.

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Tam frowned as his finished his last class for the day. Wow, I'm actually kind of nervous, he thought as he tugged on his collar, hating the way it felt against his neck. He had been surprised when he received the interview invitation -- he didn't think the sports club would contact him. It hasn't even been 24 hours since I signed that sheet, he marveled.

"Ugh, I'm not looking forward to this meeting," Willow muttered beside him. She was busy stuffing her things into her bag, and let out an annoyed hiss as she realized she had put her papers in the wrong folder. Tam could tell she was still rather frazzled over yesterday.

"I thought you didn't get nervous about interviews," he remarked nonchalantly.

Willow sniffed. "I don't, usually. But since my behavior yesterday was rather lacking in class, I am nervous as to how they will perceive me." In truth, she had been a wreck all day. A lack of sleep hadn't exactly helped, and she was nervous about her first time on the simulator. She had researched Hyperion before starting school. Apparently, the school hosted a huge competition every year between the clubs. In order to win, clubs had to fight tooth and nail -- which meant there was a vigorous screening process for each and every applicant.

I know the invitation said that it was optional, Willow thought gloomily. But it'll make me look even worse if I don't show up.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, surprising Tam. "For exchanging time slots with me."

"No problem," Tam replied, surprised. "It's the least I could do after you helped me pick out this monkey suit." Willow had almost yelled at him when he told her that he would be showing up for the interview in his regular hoodie and jeans. Despite his protests, she had shoved a suit at him and all but forced him to dress up.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious, though," he confessed. "After all, this club is kind of a big, deal, right? After what the president said yesterday."

"Mm," Willow replied. She was distracted -- thinking of all the possible ways the interview could go wrong, whether they would remember her from yesterday, what if she hadn't researched enough on simulators?

"Oh! It's time," Tam suddenly said, startling her out of own worries. "Wish me luck," he winked at Willow before going in the door.

---------------------------------------

"Hello," Tam said somewhat cautiously, as he headed out into view of the small committee. There's the president, he thought. And that small girl must be Niege. I wonder what she was doing, taking pictures yesterday?

"My name is Tam Porir," he continued. "I believe I asked you today about exchanging interview slots with Willow Flordescia?" Tam felt absolutely ridiculous, standing there in his suit. Well. This hasn't been the most awkward conversation you've ever had, he thought wryly, cheering himself up. Yesterday had been a disaster.

Niege stifled a giggle at the boy’s expensive suit, hoping for his sake that he didn’t realize the informal dress of everyone else in the room that made him stand out like a sore thumb. Aster looked up from the laptop at the sound of Tam’s voice. Contrary to his characteristic warm and friendly demeanor, he spoke with a cold firmness: “Yes, we received your e-mail but unfortunately didn’t have the time to respond. In any case, that’s fine. Let’s see which room we’ve scheduled your interview for…” When Aster looked through the spreadsheet, Cress asked, “What’s going on with Ms. Flordescia?”“Stop it. The interview hasn’t begun yet,” Niege said, rolling her eyes.Aster turned back to Tam and motioned towards a door at the back of the room. “Hm. Looks like you'll be in the second room down the hallway. Go through the door. You'll find it. Good luck,” he said slowly.“You’ll need it,” Cress murmured under his breath.

Tam was about to reply to the boy with the scarf when Niege interrupted. “Stop it. The interview hasn’t begun yet,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Once again, Tam reminded himself sternly that in this case, flirting would not work when he was nervous. Think of it as practice, he tried reassuring himself. For a job interview, or something. After all, you wouldn't flirt there, would you? Tam paused as he asked himself that question, then immediately berated himself for even needing to pause.

That's a no, he hold himself firmly, trying to keep it together as he walked into the next room. Scarf boy is kind of scary, he thought. Wonder what's eating him. While the president's tone had been unwelcoming, his words had been pretty typical for an interview.

Scarf boy, on the other hand... no. Tam told himself to think happy thoughts as he walked through the other door -- positive thoughts. Well. I haven't asphyxiated yet from this verdammt collar.

The moment that their new interviewee entered through the door, his interviewers, the esteemed vice president and social chair, halted whatever fun they were having surfing social media on their phones and welcomed him to the interview. The door behind Tam naturally slammed shut like a clap of thunder — all because Lavender, who reserved the rooms, thought it would be entertaining to see exactly how timid the interviewees were this year round.

“Welcome, Mr. Porir. My name is Verano. I’m the current vice president of the Sports Club. It’s a pleasure to be speaking to you today,” said Verano impassively, sounding as if he did not recognize the sophomore at all. He might have reached out for a handshake out of courtesy, although the table was just a bit too wide for that — another of Lavender's design choices. In any case, the only glister of spirit about the senior resided in his emerald eyes, which he then directed at the strawberry-haired girl to his side.

Sabella lifted her chin up and introduced herself. “My name is Sabella. I’m the current social chair. We’ll just begin with the typical opener: Tell us about yourself.”

Tam nearly sighed in relief as he saw Verano and Sabella. At least they're kind of nice, from what I've seen, he thought gratefully. And then, an afterthough: Imagine how this would be if I hadn't cleared things up with Sabella yesterday.

He was a little surprised when Verano started speaking as if they hadn't met before, but then checked himself. Oh right, this is an interview. You're not here to socialize. You're here to knock them off their socks, he repeated in his head, almost like a mantra. Tam hadn't had that much experience with interviews, other than what he looked up online in the five minutes before his interview had started. But even he knew how common that first question, and he had prepared an answer beforehand.

He smiled nervously as he got into his answer, making sure to check himself from speaking too fast, and to just seem relaxed. "My name is Tam Porir, as you already know," he inclined his head slightly forward. "I'm from Iceland, actually -- and no, before you ask, I haven't tried hakarl before. I'm currently a sophomore at Hyperion. I like to play badminton, and I've played internationally before, and won several competitions abroad. I am a sports recruit for Hyperion, and from what I've been told, I am the informal doyen of badminton."

“Interesting,” Verano said as he typed rapidly on the laptop in front of him. He managed a small smile at hearing the sophomore’s achievements but immediately re-composed his features, subsequently allowing Sabella to continue the interview. She seemed less impressed by his reply but still went down the list of questions Aster had sent her. In her opinion, it was ill-judged to only use the standard job interview questions which everyone likely heard before, so she elected to diverge from the standard.

“Hey. Tell me, is there anything we should know that may be concerning regarding your background or qualifications? Anything personal that might compromise our impression of you? (edit ooc: assume she asks about family ig) We won’t record your answer to that,” she said, gesturing to Verano to close the laptop. Though he was somewhat unnerved by the questions she had asked, he nonetheless acquiesced.

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Tam quickly ran through the rest of the questions, noting with relief that they all seemed like pretty common stuff. Willow had drilled him on a couple of the same ones earlier. He felt more confident going along -- he didn't think he was doing too bad.

The last question, however, threw him for a spin. "M-my family life?" he laughed, slightly nervously. Oh God, they can't -- they don't know, do they? he racked his brains frantically for a moment. Not even I would have mentioned something so stupid, he thought grimly. I haven't even told that to Willow. She's got her own problems, there's no need to weigh down everyone with this one.

Despite that, the way Sabella worded the question was... odd. They had been recording things this entire time, and all of a sudden, she said she wasn't going to write down any notes for this particular question? From the quick look Verano gave Sabella, Tam wagered that he didn't know about this either.

They're probably going to do a background check anyway, he thought glumly. I might as well get this out of the way.

"Well, my parents are back in Iceland. I talk with them at least four times a week. It's tough choking down food like pizza here, when you know they're back home, enjoying a nice meal of poisonous fermented shark," he laughed more genuinely this time, the joke helping to calm himself down. "I have an older brother," he continued, before pausing. Should I? he thought desperately. I'm spilling all my secrets on strangers here.

Whenever he was nervous, Tam always reached for his pockets. He reached toward where they should've been, then remembered he was wearing the verdammt monkey suit. Sh*t, he inwardly cursed. Now I look like I'm groping my belly button or something.

Once again, he resisted the urge to flirt. What am I going to do in a simulation? he demanded. Flirt my way out of battle with a f*cking hologram? Instead, he acted like the movement was natural, and reached one hand up to casually brush some hair out of his face.

In the end, Tam decided to be honest -- to an extent. "I have an older brother," he repeated. "Who has fallen somewhat on tough times. But," his eyes took on a steel note, and he looked straight at Sabella. "He is still my brother. And I will continue to support him, no matter what happens." Tam left an unspoken challenge in the air. Between the sports club, and family? He would always choose family.

While Tam explained, Sabella stared blankly at the closed laptop, taking in his answer in pensive silence. “No matter what happens,” she repeated under her breath as soon as he stopped talking, turning to meet his steely eyes. She would never in a million years have imagined the boy in front of her even having the potential to think, let alone speak, with such severity. She opened her mouth to give a response, but her co-interviewer spoke up first, startling her with the disparaging undertone of his normally mellow voice.

“Why? What has he done for you besides share the same parents?” he said.

“Um, Vera, maybe we can save this for the second round… you know, with the simulation,” Sabella whispered so that Tam couldn’t hear.

But he sharpened his gaze and his criticism, continuing, “Why do you believe he deserves your support? Your acknowledgement? Your love?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Have you ever drank corn juice before? I feel like it’s gross since it’s so sweet, but I kind of want to try it.”

“Niege, why are you asking me this?” asked Aster, his eyes still focused on the computer screen, reading through comments from earlier interviews. To his delight, it was easy to distinguish the excellent candidates from the rest of the herd, and he was rather impressed by their various skills and qualifications, looking forward to seeing them again in the second round.

Cress unburied his face from his book, detecting faint footsteps outside the door. Aster stood up to greet the new arrival — the freshman Hazel Senreta.

Tam was slightly taken aback by Verano's attack. Sabella? Maybe. But Verano had seemed nice yesterday, and Tam wondered for a second if he touched a sore point. There's no going back now, he thought, determined. He may believe something else, but I'm certainly entitled to my own opinion.

"Funny," he said shortly, surprising himself with his tone of voice. "I thought being related -- or in your words, sharing the same parents -- was one of the things that brought people close together." Tam shifted his gaze to Verano's.

"Because no matter what happens, no matter what he does, no matter how distant he and I grow," he continued, his voice getting colder to match Verano's. "He and I will always be connected. I will always care for him because he is my brother. Not because of anything else, other than that fundamental reason."

"After all, caring for someone based on their achievements, or what they've done for you, isn't a reason to care at all. Anything could change. But being related is something that is final," he finished.

Tam exhaled gustily, the sudden burst of adrenaline wearing off. He now felt extremely open -- and nervous, as if he had exposed something vulnerable about himself. You shouldn't have done that, he chided himself. Don't wear down others with your own issues.

The last time he had seen his brother was in a prison cell. He had seemed so down, so completely destroyed -- Tam couldn't take it. He had come to his brother following a particularly bad argument with his parents, and had hoped for some advice, some consolation -- anything. His brother hadn't been able to offer any.

That's when the jokes, the flirts, the casual anecdotes had started. Tam stayed with him for as long as he could -- telling him about his day, making some jokes. Cheering him up in the only way he could. Since then, Tam had clammed about his own life whenever somebody asked him. I don't need to weigh anyone down with my own issues. Everyone -- my parents, my brother, think I'm just happy all the time. I need to be, for their sakes. Someone needs to be happy enough for everyone.

"I'm sorry if you don't agree with what I said," Tam said, in a softer tone. "But I stand by my previous point. To me, family is everything -- I wouldn't exist, I wouldn't be who I am without them. I understand that family can make or break you, though -- and that not everyone has had the privilege of having a family who loves them," he replied doggedly, then paused. Should I really say this next part?

"So, I guess that's my own personal philosophy," he shrugged, rocking back on his heels slightly. "I'm not going to ask where you got that question from, though. It was very..." Tam hesitated. There's no going back now."It was very specific," he said carefully. "Almost like you knew..." he said that last past too quietly for anyone else to hear.

"Well. That's all the questions we have for you," Sabella finally said, after what felt like an eternity. "Thank you for your time. We will notify you within a week of the results."

Tam's mind was whirling as he left the room, after saying a quick goodbye. I think I just screwed up, he groaned as soon as left the room. But, more importantly, he was left with a nagging sense of doubt, and suspicion -- that question was specific, he thought. Almost like they knew. But how could they? Maybe did a background check, but why bring it up? And the way that Verano reacted was just... weird.

------------------------------------------------

Hazel stepped nervously into the room. She recognized Niege, and Cress, the boy who had been with Sabella. Why did it have to be him? she thought, heart fluttering like a bird. He's probably told everyone that I'm clumsy, I spilled his tea -- stop. Just say hello to them -- you can do that, right?

"H-hello," she squeaked out, mortified to hear her stutter. "My name is Hazel Senreta."

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“No… damn it,” Sabella said once Tam left the room, her voice trembling. She removed a silver voice recording device from her pocket, clicking the red record button off and then tossing the device aside. Although she was moved by the bold authenticity of the interviewee's answers, she was aware where those sharp questions had come from, and she could only imagine how Verano felt. If your eyes were the window to the soul, then for sure, he had shut his soul off from the world with that tousled golden hair of his. Her brother hadn’t enlightened her much on situations like this, so she acted the way that was right for her. Embracing the senior tightly, she whispered, “We don’t need to accept him if you don’t want to. We can do that. We can tell Aster. Easy.”“Sabella…” He lightly hugged her back. “No, I don’t want to reject someone qualified for no reason.”“How’s it no reason?” she said, brushing the hair out of his eyes.“I just got irritated. I messed up. I failed to…” He hesitated. “I failed,” he finally coughed out.

It took her several moments to realize that she had instinctively slapped him across the face. He stared at her, at a loss for words. “I-I apologize. If anything… I’m frustrated that you think that your own feelings aren’t valid, and that we wouldn’t value them,” she said, touching the place she had struck him. “You’re so important to us. Don’t let anyone, not even yourself, tell you otherwise,” she said. “Got it?” He managed a weak smile. “… yes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome, Ms. Senreta. I’ve heard some good things about you from these two,” said Aster, glancing at Niege and Cress. It seems he had better organized his spreadsheet this time, finding Hazel’s interview room rather quickly. He pointed to the same door Tam recently exited through. “You’ll be in the first room down that hallway. Through that door. And oh, it looks like you’ll be interviewing her too, Cress.” The sophomore sat up and gave a polite nod to Aster.“Good luck!” Niege called as both Cress and Hazel entered the hallway.

(ooc: she’ll be interviewed by cress + lotus)

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Hazel nodded stiffly in response to Aster. Her palms were slippery with sweat, and she wiped them quickly on her jeans as she and Cress walked down the hallway. It had to be him, she thought miserably. Although... I wonder who's the other person? Based on Aster's response, it sounded like there would be more than one person interviewing her.

One is bad enough. Hazel fell behind Cress that they walked, wondering if she should say something to him. In the end, she just decided to shut up. I ruin everything whenever I open my stupid mouth, she growled at herself. I don't even know why I signed up for this, again. I'll probably just fail, and go home.

She entered the door Aster had mentioned, and stood awkwardly for a moment, looking at the interviewers. Oh! That's... Lotus. The girl from the park. Hazel wasn't sure what to make of that -- on one hand, both of these people knew how clumsy, how stupid she was. On the other... what Lotus had said in the park surprised Hazel. Secretly, she wondered -- she hoped -- if she would be able to find a kindred spirit in the other girl.

In the end, she opted to simply smile slightly as she waited for the other two to start. It's not like they don't know my name, or why I'm here or anything. Oh, I hope I'm not doing this all wrong!

The Sports Club’s respected treasurer and publicity chair locked their green eyes before they commenced the interview. Who knows what signals they relayed in the seconds-long stare — but afterwards, Lotus took on a very formal, even unapproachable manner. She bowed her head and began, “Welcome, Ms. Senreta. I’m Lotus Genovese, the publicity chair. Glad to have you here today.”

“I’m Cress Sativia. I am the treasurer,” said Cress, his voice flavored with such aloofness that it sounded like it came from beyond the dimly lit room they were in. He gestured to Lotus to be ready to type on the laptop, then looked back at Hazel. “Tell us about yourself, Ms. Senreta."

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Hazel's voice died in her throat as Cress asked the first question. Normally, Hazel hated talking to other people. Her stutter, her fear -- it made communicating far more difficult than it should have been.

Despite her experience, even Hazel knew how common of an interview question the one Cress had asked was. Come on, it's easy, she tried to encourage herself. Just tell them you're a freshman. You've lived in California all your life, you're a sports recruit who does cross-country and track and field.

"M-m-m-my -- " Hazel started, then stopped suddenly, when she heard herself stutter. "M-m-m-m-m-m-m." This time, she couldn't even get the first word out. Suddenly, she was furiously blinking back tears -- no matter what, Hazel wouldn't allow herself to cry openly in front of others.

Hazel couldn't figure it out -- while she'd always been shy talking in front of others, now, it was literally as though she couldn't get the words out. This had happened yesterday, too, and while Hazel had hoped it was only a one-day thing, she knew inside that it wasn't.

Worthless. The thought echoed in her head, and suddenly she stiffened. Hazel looked apologetically towards Lotus and Cress, and dug out a piece of paper and pencil from her bag. She blinked back tears, refusing to cry as she quickly wrote something down and handed them the paper.

I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me, but I seem to have lost my voice. You can dismiss me if you'd like. I guess I -- the next lines had been crossed out repeatedly, before continuing on.

My name is Hazel Senreta. I'm a freshman in Hyperion, a sports recruit for cross-country and track and field. I guess I should just cut to the chase. I have trouble talking to others -- although you two might know that already. I've seen you both around, yesterday.

I know that this might be a weird introduction. Written on paper. But this seems to be the only way I can communicate right now. I'm sorry. Again, I know this looks pretty bad. You can dismiss me if you'd like. I understand. I'm sorry for taking up your time.

When Hazel began to scrawl her response on paper, Lotus and Cress turned to each other, eyes wide in bafflement. Lotus, wanting to give her a chance, maintained the conversation by asking more standard interview questions. In the meantime, Cress quickly slipped out to talk to Aster.

“Cress, is everything alright? What are you doing out here?” the club president asked, nearly mistaking him for an interviewee due to the distraught expression on his face.

“The — I — Aster, you won’t believe this, but that titchy girl just pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing her interview answers in pencil,” said Cress, breathing heavily. “She said she lost her voice. Lotus is still continuing with the interview — but what should we do? Has this ever happened before?”

Aster gently placed his hands on the sophomore’s shoulders to calm him down. Recalling something Verano told him freshman year, he said slowly, “Let her continue. Every time you thought your fears would conquer you has become the time you made it. And you didn’t make it this far — to just make it this far. Shouldn’t Ms. Senreta have the right to that?” He beamed brightly, hoping he could prompt Cress to smile as well.

Cress let out a laugh, though he shyly covered his mouth straight after. “Of course. You’re right,” he said through his hand. “… thanks, Aster.” When he returned to the interview room, Lotus had just asked a question near the bottom of the list: “Tell us about a time you had a conflict working in a team."

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Hazel nodded. Even though she knew she had probably ruined her chances of getting into the club -- who even does something like this? -- she didn't feel bad. Her heart had slowed down, and the room no longer seemed like it was crushing her. In fact, she felt good -- better than she had felt in a long time, she realized in surprise.

She continued writing down her answers to the questions Lotus had asked her. Hazel didn't feel like she was doing too badly, either -- when she talked, she often ended up blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. But here, on the crisp white paper, Hazel didn't stutter. She could actually think about her answers, and write down something meaningful.

Hazel didn't even notice that Cress had left the room.

Then, Lotus asked her about a time she had a conflict when working in a group. Hazel froze. She didn't have much group experience -- after all, no one ever wanted to work with the girl that could barely speak. She always ended up being shoved in a group with some other people, people nobody ever wanted to work with because they were mean, or ugly, or anything. People could be so cruel -- ostracizing others based on their own whims.

But Hazel had gotten used to it. Accepted it, almost. Now, in group projects, she simply did her part of the work. Sometimes more than her share. And sometimes all of it. She hesitated -- maybe a team didn't have to refer to school projects. Even though cross-country and track and field were individual sports, wasn't there some sort of team dynamics? After all, everyone had to do their best alone in order for the whole team to be successful and get the best times.

She decided to write about the time Peanut had practiced with her to try and join her track and field team. That was when he still thought he had a chance, she sighed. When he thought he could recover completely.

Hazel was careful not to reveal any specific details about who she was talking about, or the nature of her teammate's injury. She write about how she and a teammate -- a close friend of hers -- had clashed over an injury. He was hurting himself, trying so hard, she wrote. Eventually, I helped him realize that there was no point in continuing on if it would just make it worse.

As she finished writing, Hazel suddenly felt stung. The more she thought about it, the more she realized -- Peanut had gotten more distant with her over that. The next few weeks, after she convinced him that he was just hurting himself, his optimism had seemed to wither away. Did I do that to him? she thought, worried, as she held out the paper for Lotus once more. I didn't mean to make him give up. It was... he was just trying. So hard. And nothing would make it better.

Deeply perturbed, Hazel sat down again as she waited for Lotus to finish reading her paper.

Lotus, though not the star bibliophile of her family, greatly adored reading. It had been her solace, transporting her to a different world and elevating her to a state of heightened empathy. The same applied to Hazel’s handwritten responses — it revealed a side of the girl Lotus wanted to see. Sure, she didn’t answer the question as it was exactly stated, but her answer satisfied any question that any interviewer could have asked, for it had divulged her true personality and her values. Her sympathy... it's something I could use work on sometimes, thought Lotus. She turned the paper to let Cress read it as well; after he finished, he looked at her intensely and nodded. It was time for the interviewee to ask her own questions.

“Before we finish up, do you have any questions for us?” said Cress. He pointed at the papers scattered all over the table. “And do you mind if we keep the answers you’ve written for us? We'd sure love to take a closer look.”

Hazel nodded, gathering all of the papers into a little pile before handing them to Cress. She pulled out another sheet for the questions she would like to ask. After all, she didn't have much of a chance to at the meeting yesterday.

She paused for a second as she considered which questions she wanted to ask, rolling her pencil around in her fingers. About the team dynamics, she wrote. Someone said something to me yesterday that was kind of interesting. Her name was Niege. She said something along the lines of 'not being able to take on the beast that is Hyperion alone.' Can you elaborate on what she meant? This obviously isn't like any of the clubs at my former middle school, Hazel continued, stopping now and then to erase and think about her next words. It's not just an extracurricular. It's seems like it's... something more. What exactly, then, is the role of clubs like this at Hyperion? She handed the paper to Cress.

Hazel wasn't entirely ignorant to the culture of Hyperion. She had initially wanted to decline the offer of attending America's top school -- she just wasn't sure she would like it there. She had gone a tour once, and her initial impression of the school was that everyone seemed to be vying for the top. And the simulations. Hazel let out a small, involuntary shudder. She was not looking forward to those. But then, her old school hadn't exactly been friendly either, had it?

In the end, what convinced Hazel to go Hyperion was Peanut transferring over. Her mindset at the time was that she would have at least one person at that school who she could talk to. It wasn't like Hazel was terrible at academics, either -- on the contrary, she performed better than her peers... except on oral presentations. And oral presentations were what everyone in the class heard, so they had all assumed that Hazel was stupid.

Despite this, she still wanted to know more about the clubs. I hope they're not entirely based around academics, and achievements, she thought nervously. Maybe they're a place... where I can make some friends. The thought of making friends caught her off guard. Before -- hours ago -- her plan had been to get her diploma and run.

I haven't felt this way in a while, she thought, smiling.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Willow had gotten up the moment Tam walked out of the door. She took in his ashy complexion and immediately asked, "What's troubling you? How did it go?" Tam had simply sighed, and plopped down on the seat next to her.

"I don't knoooow," Tam groaned, burying his face in his hands. "They asked some stuff, and I answered?"

Well. That was helpful, Willow thought, irritated. "Could you please tell me about the nature of the questions they asked?" she prodded, hoping to get a little more out of Tam.

Tam paused for a second, screwing up his face like he had tasted something sour. "Normal questions. It was all going, well, until they asked this really weird one. It was super specific. Like they knew what to ask about, almost."

Willow bit her lip. "Perhaps, it was simply a lucky guess," she tried to comfort him, although her mind was reeling. That girl from yesterday. She had been taking pictures, Willow was sure of that now. Are they collecting data? Or something? she thought, alarmed.

Tam looked her for a second. "No. I don't think it was," he mumbled. Suddenly, he shot up in his chair. "You should be careful," he warned. "They might throw you for a spin too."

"Thank you," she replied. "For the warning." Willow checked her phone again -- it was almost time for the interview. She took a deep breath, steeling herself before she walked in. Keep calm, she ordered herself. You've been to plenty of interviews before.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Tam said apologetically. "When I walked in, they asked me why you exchanged time slots with me. The other girl said I didn't need to answer, since the interview hadn't started yet. But they might ask you about that."

Willow nodded -- she hadn't expected anything less, and had prepared an answer before going in.

Cress read aloud Hazel’s writing for him and Lotus to answer. Aster had previously drilled them on answers for the common questions and given them advice on how to handle those that were curveballs.

At Hyperion, the system was the supreme power — even though many outside the school expressed disapproval with the system, at least they weren’t trapped in it and perpetuating it everyday like Hyperion students were. Essentially, Aster told them to “lie your asses off” and paint their school like their loving and just God, every facet of the school like His blessings from the empyrean. The truth could come later, he told them guiltily, handing them actual yet misleading descriptions from the Academy website in case they couldn’t lie.

“Well, I’m not sure what Niege told you or the context in which that was spoken, but Hyperion Academy is a difficult school. You must have known that coming in — the Hyperion admissions committee admitted you because you have potential. They know you’ll make it, but not without working hard,” Cress said. “Being here already, you must have experience with that.”

“Right,” Lotus piggybacked off of him, remembering something she had seen on the website. “Because Hyperion strives to raise the nation’s future leaders, having an active social life while here is crucial to that goal. That manifests strongest in our clubs. We put a lot of hard work into them, but at the end of the day, it’s fulfilling and reassuring to be surrounded by a loving family that’s always there to support you and cheer you up! We always do such fun things together.” That last part wasn't false, she thought.

Cress nodded. “Yeah, every club I’m in is real close like that.”

“If I had only one piece of advice to give you, I’d tell you to join a club ASAP. And the Sports Club has a pretty good reputation,” giggled Lotus, although she wanted to scream in shame at the affected manner in which she spoke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome, Ms. Flordescia,” said Aster as the interviewee walked in, the two of them the only ones present in the room. “You’re right on time. You’ll have your interview in the third room down the hallway over there.” He pointed at the entrance to the hallway once more. “You’ll find it. I wish you luck.”

(ooc: lav/niege interviewers)

Last edited by espeon on Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

Hazel was silent for a few moments. I guess that's what I'm looking for. Although, the simulations... she frowned, deciding she could look up more on that later.

That's the only question I have. Thank you, Hazel wrote, handing the paper to Cress again. Does that mean the interview is over now? she asked herself, swinging her legs slightly from the chair. Despite her initial terror, the interview had actually gone better than she'd thought. Hazel knew that there was still a good chance she wouldn't get in -- she was hardly the most qualified person, even if she was a sports recruit -- and she had also just frozen up in the middle of her introduction. If that wasn't a warning bell, she didn't know what was.

So I probably won't make it in... she mused. Surprisingly, though, the thought didn't trouble her too much. Her heart felt so light from not having to speak -- isn't that a weird thing to feel? Hazel thought wryly. So... is this the end of the interview?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Willow greeted the president as she walked in, and walked inside of the assigned room. She started in surprise as she saw the two interviewers -- both of who she knew.

There's that short girl again, she thought warily. I need to be careful around her. I wish I could ask her why she was taking pictures yesterday. The other girl, meanwhile, was a whole different can of worms.

Marvelous. That's the girl who saw me make a fool out of myself. I don't even know what I said yesterday. Despite her misgivings, Willow smiled and greeted them cheerfully. She followed the guidelines she had been taught for interviews.

“If those were the only questions you had for us,” said Lotus, “then that’s all the time we have with you today. We enjoyed getting to know you today, Ms. Senreta.”

“We’ll get back to you on the results within a week. You may go now, Cress said, dismissing the freshman rather courteously. When Hazel exited the room, he turned to Lotus. “She was good, wasn’t she?”

“We’ll all have to vote later when we have a chance to hear recordings from all the interviews. The comments are only for pruning completely undesirable candidates, remember?” the junior said, withdrawing the recording device in her pocket

“Yeah… by the way, do we even need to save that girl's recording?”

"Oh, I suppose not. I sort of feel bad, since it's just standard procedure," murmured Lotus.

"We have everything we need right here though." Cress pointed to the papers she had written on. "I think it's plenty."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surprised by the interviewee’s poise, surely from hours of preparation, the admirable secretary and webmaster both understood that their typical questions would not cut it, and that it would be more fruitful to them to ask more incisive ones.

“Let’s do some rapid-fire questions, now — just reply honestly please,” said Lavender. “I’ll begin. If I were to ask your friends to describe you, what would they say? How about your enemies — or those you don't consider friends?”

“What’s something most people don’t know about you?” Niege said.

“How do you deal with loneliness or isolation?”

“While we’re at it, why did you ask Mr. Porir to switch interview times with you today?”

Willow was a little surprised by how they cut straight to the chase. In the questions she had prepared for, those had been some of the hardest. Tam said that the questions they asked him were fairly typical, she frowned slightly, deep in thought.

Surely I must have done something right, then, for them to start off like this. Guess it's time to prove them right, Willow smiled confidently before slipping into her first answer. Careful, she warned herself. Don't sound like you rehearsed this. It should sound natural.

"My friends -- and enemies, actually -- would probably describe me as studious. Or prepared. I don't procrastinate, and I often help my friends out with their own projects, offering feedback and advice. But," she continued, her smile turning sad. "I'm sure you both know how it is here. It's quite cutthroat." Willow looked around the room listlessly for a moment, as if she were lost in thought, and fidgeted a little with the hem of her skirt. I hope this looks natural to them, Willow offered a silent prayer before continuing.

"Um, what the other question?" she pretended to laugh nervously, noting with pleasure that it sounded genuine. "Gosh, these are coming a little quickly. Uh, something most people don't know... this actually ties in with the question about loneliness, too..." She softened her gaze a little bit, hoping to come off across as a little vulnerable.

"Well. When I was in middle school, I actually dealt with loneliness a lot," she confessed. It never really bothered Willow, of course -- but that wasn't a normal thing to say. Especially if she was applying for a club, where people socialized like it was nothing. I might have to keep up this charade for a while.

"Anyway..." Willow pretended to look slightly uncomfortable. "I was rather shy, and kind of reserved. Some people were angry because I beat them in some competitions. That's not something people know about me, to be honest." Willow gave another shaky laugh. "But... then, I met my best friend. It was the previous interviewee -- Tam Porir," she explained.

"The only way, in my opinion, to deal with loneliness or isolation without changing who you are is to find someone who will accept you for you. I was lucky to find Tam -- " Willow laughed in surprise this time. It was her first genuine laugh this whole interview. "Oh dear, we sound like a couple, don't we? But no, he's always just been my best friend. So... I guess my answer to this question is that... it's important to be part of a group. And that's another thing I'm hoping for in this club -- if I make it. It's not just the bridge between success and athletes here at Hyperion -- it's a place where I can make new friends, form new connections."

Willow resisted the urge to frown. She supposed that she didn't have any qualms against making new friends, but then again, she didn't particularly want to. I really might have to play the part for a while. I guess... it's good that I'm good at acting. The thought was unexpectedly disturbing. Like she was simply using others for her own gain.

"So... the last question. Like I said before, Tam is my best friend," she explained. "I like to prepare a lot for school, for interviews -- life in general. You know what they say -- luck favors the prepared. Unfortunately, there was a slight incident yesterday" -- a sheepish grin, directed at Lavender -- "and I was feeling somewhat under the weather today. I was still feeling a little sick throughout the day, I switched with Tam."

ooc: holy shiet I swear wills isn't a sociopath

--------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Tam was still resisting the urge to bury his head between the tiles of the school floor. I basically just insulted an interviewer to his face, he inwardly groaned. Wow. I f*cked up, didn't I?

Tam hesitated, wondering what he should do next. An attempt to make amends would just sound like I'm not truly remorseful, he sighed. But I am. True remorse isn't apologizing because of the consequences, but because of the motive.

I'd better act fast, then, he thought grimly. He quickly pulled out his phone and looked up Verano Rendon (ooc: I am sorry) on the student list. Here goes nothing, he thought gloomily, as he started to type out an email to Verano.

Hi, Verano.

I'm sorry that greeting was too familiar. We're probably not on a first-name basis yet. Definitely not, after my outburst.

I'm sorry for blowing up at you. You've probably been through some **** too. And I guess you already know that I have. Please don't spread that around, by the way. You might, I wouldn't blame you. But seriously. I haven't even told my best friend about it.

Again, what I said back there was simply my personal philosophy. I didn't mean to attack you. But I did.

An email doesn't really seem like the best place to talk about this, though. Would you like to meet for coffee or something later? I could give a more formal apology to you, then. And this isn't just about the interview. You could probably fail me. I probably would, if someone blew up at me like that. But... I just want to talk. It's okay if you don't.

Although somewhat shocked about her connection to Tam given the unexpected nature thereof, Lavender and Niege were impressed with Willow’s overall performance on the interview. Lavender spoke first while Niege finished typing something on the laptop — she invited Willow to ask any questions she had for the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(ooc: later)

After the Sports Club had concluded their primary screening interviews for this year’s new officers, they decided to celebrate and re-energize by staying in and enjoying a movie in a residential college private theater, with plans to call for a late-night delivery of pizza and cookies since, of course, they knew they would be up late going through the comments and recordings. As they walked to their destination across the historic, verdant campus, embraced by the refreshing air and sheltered by the star-speckled evening sky, they chattered vaguely about the candidates they each found excellent. Whereas the sophomores were the most outspoken, seeing as this was their first chance interviewing, the seniors’ voices were wholly absent.

“I’m fine,” he said, turning his face away from her. But she was prepared, reaching out to pinch his cheek tightly as she had done when they were younger, which he reacted to by batting her arm away. “Vera, I know when you’re fine,” she said, frowning. “You’re not.” Sabella flashed a glance back at the two seniors, grateful that Lavender had noticed and taken action.

“You don’t need to help, Lav. I can figure it out myself,” Verano murmured in reply. Unconvinced, Lavender said, “Oh, honey — you always say that when you know well that you can’t handle it. Promise me you’ll tell me more when we get inside.” She regarded him warmly until he gave her a silent nod.

Once the club arrived at the residential college, Lavender brought Verano to an isolated study room to talk while the rest of them set up house. She moved closer so she could put her arm around him. Without a word, he clicked on his phone and handed it to her. There it was, displayed on the screen — Tam’s e-mail.

“Wh-What is this?” she said softly, perusing it. “What happened?”

“Sabella and I interviewed… Mr. Porir,” he said. “She asked this question about family life, and he… he quite ardently defended his family, and I couldn’t control — I-I became upset.” He hesitated. “I demanded that he further defend himself — so he did. He lashed out. His defense became a scathing attack. And now he’s trying his best to make up. But this only happened because of me… I can’t go see him.” He gazed at Lavender, misty-eyed.

Wiping his tears, she replied, “You’re going to go talk this out with him, Vera. You can’t change him or his beliefs. But you can be confident, get that free coffee, and listen to him. If you find that you two are incompatible, that’s fine. I don’t see you having any closure to this situation otherwise.” Sighing, she lay her head back on his shoulder. “I understand that it’s hard… it may not come naturally, but it's part of growing up. In several ways, I suppose.” She brushed his hair lovingly and smiled. "But I’m saying all this because I want the best for you."

Last edited by Espeon on Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:22 am; edited 1 time in total

Willow's eyes lit up as Lavender invited her to ask any questions. She already had a fairly good idea about their answers -- but then again, most times, you didn't ask questions at the end of an interview because you were curious about something. You asked them to further bolster your image.

She picked out of a handful of the questions from the list she'd prepared, and listened, feigning rapt attention. She left feeling wholly satisfied with her performance, and she and Tam said their goodbyes a little while later.

Tam's dorm was illuminated with a ghostly white light that evening. His roommate had thrown a pillow at him a little while before, telling him to go to sleep already. Tam had flirted back.

Suddenly, a message popped up on his screen, from Willow.

> You should really be asleep by now, you know.

> I could say the same for u> what are you doing up?

> I'm still working on my outline for the project in AP Biology.

> w h a t> you know that's not due for another three weeks right

> I like to finish things early.

> not sure why i'm surprised, tbh> did you need something?

> You seemed rather down after yesterday's interview. Even if that last question was "a spin," it's uncharacteristic for you to be so glum.> You're my best friend, after all. I have to respond in kind. Why don't we go out for coffee tomorrow at your favorite cafe?Read at 11:34 pm

At her house, Willow stared at the screen as she waited for a reply, tapping her pencil impatiently on her desk. In truth, she wasn't sure whether she was doing this for Tam, or for herself. While she had certainly been satisfied with her interview today, some of the things... she had been disturbed by the nature of some of her thoughts. It was like I was manipulating people, like chess pieces or something.

Willow wasn't any stranger to acting. She did it all the time -- with her parents, with her teachers, with her coaches. But those were... those were people who she didn't have much attachment to. Even her parents -- she supposed she cared for them, but they were never around, and so Willow didn't particularly feel any qualms about deceiving them.

But her peers were supposed to be different. You weren't supposed to jerk your fellow students around on a string, and feel happy when they fell into the places you assigned them to.

Tam blinked in shock. Wow, Wills must really be surprised if she made a typo, he laughed slightly, eliciting another "shut up!" from his roommate.

> yeah. so i'm meeting him tomorrow for apology coffee> it's not just for the interview, though> he seems like a nice guy, you know me> i don't think you've seen me ever yell before

> Six years, and not a single time. Flirting has pretty much been a constant, though.> Please tell me you have a plan.> You might just plan on apologizing and buying him coffee, but have you worked out what you're going to say?

> not yet?

> Okay, what time is the meeting tomorrow?

> like, 5:30 pm

> That gives us about an hour to practice.

> practice ??? what do you mean

> I'll expect a full draft of your apology by midnight tonight. I'll help you edit and proofread.

> wills, don't make such a big deal out of this

> It IS a big deal. Do you realize what this club means?> Don't you realize the power these people have over the school?> Meet me in the cafeteria tomorrow after school before you go.> We're roleplaying a little bit.> I'll coach you on how to present your apology.

Tam was aghast with the turn the conversation had taken. Roleplay? Is she serious? He already knew the answer -- Willow never made jokes. The apology doesn't have to be too long, he thought, rubbing his temple. I can probably get it done in a little bit.

He flicked on his desk light as his roommate cried in protest. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "But I'll be very quick. I promise."

"I hate you," his roommate snarled, voice muffled by the pillow he held over his face.

Tam winked at him, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see. "I think your face is lovely as well." He put his earbuds in and started typing, ignoring his roommate's shrieks of indignation.

When she arrived at [science class], Lavender immediately hopped over to Peanut’s seat, leaving Anise running — well, actually, walking — behind her and her billowing brown hair. “I’m sorry, I just recently saw your text and wasn’t sure if your question had been resolved already,” she said, laughing. “Since that would be awkward, right?”

He didn’t seem to find that so entertaining, but she continued, “But anyways, what’s up? Do you still need to talk?”